Is de-clawing cruel?

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The Original Kiwi

De-clawing is wrong and shouldn't be done as the reasons stated above.
When living at my parents we had a cat and he had his. But he was a mean ole cat and no amount of catnip or anything would make him choose the scratching post we provided for him over other options.

I have no opinions on declawing cats cause I'll never have one so I've never looked into it, but I'm all about spaying and neutering your pets. I certainly don't want the responsibility of puppies (either actually having them or know my dog created them).

Registered Member

On the one hand, declawing, does hurt the cats, as the claws are an extension of bone, not just dead skin and protein, and thus they do have nerve endings in them. And as everyone should know, bone pain is the worst kind of pain. In that view, it's extremely cruel to cut the nails of a cat.

On the other hand, however, it seems that many people are mistaken. Just because you cut off the claws of a cat, that doesn't mean that it's helpless or defenseless. My cat, Shorty, was declawed (his front paws only), and yet he could still function very well as an outdoor cat. We found him as a stray, so we never kept him confined to the house. Even with his front claws removed, he could scale up trees and furniture and curtains alike, and he could hunt. We'd find dead birds on our front lawn and everything else. It's not like cutting off the claws leaves a cat debilitated. Yes, their defense against predators is limited because of their lack of claws. But that doesn't mean they're unable to put up a fight.

Also, most cats are indoor cats anyway. What need for indoor cats of claws? All they'll use it for is to tear up your furnishings, and that can cost a hell of a lot of money after a while. If you have an outdoor cat, just resign to declawing only the front paws. That way it can still hunt, defend itself, and of course, climb the occasional tree.

Again, like I said, the argument is two-sided. Yes, the act of declawing cats is painful and cruel. But it has its benefits, and in the long run, the cat will not die because of it.

Registered Member

People should declaw cats whether its cruel or not. If i have little kids (woaaah im looking a little to far here.. but just an example to say the least).. if i have kids i dont want to risk them being scracthed to the hospital when i can just take my cat to the vet and de-claw him. its not cruel, we're not putting cats in pain, we're not doing something meaningless.

Registered Member

People should declaw cats whether its cruel or not. If i have little kids (woaaah im looking a little to far here.. but just an example to say the least).. if i have kids i dont want to risk them being scracthed to the hospital when i can just take my cat to the vet and de-claw him. its not cruel, we're not putting cats in pain, we're not doing something meaningless.

I don't believe everything I hear, I just like to give credit to those who posted the idea first rather than taking it for myself.

Declawing a cat is equivalent to cutting off the first joint of a finger because a cat's nails is not the same as a human's nails. Our nails are made up of living skin cells and a hard protein called keratin. This does not apply to cats. For cats, their claws are an extension of bone. The "claw" that is severed during the operation to declaw a cat is not a nail, but an actual bone. These bones are called the distal phalanges, and if you know your anatomy, you would know that this is equivalent to the tips of your fingers. Because the claws of a cat (and other animals) are bones, they have nerve endings. And among those nerve endings are pain receptors. As is stated in the name, these pain receptors deliver the signals of pain to the brain. When you cut off a cat's claw, you're cutting through bone. And bone pain is the worst kind of pain known (including pain inflicted to the skull, which is the most signifigant pain, alongside kidney/gall stones).

If you've ever broken a bone, then you have an idea of the pain inflicted upon a cat during the declawing procedure.

Having kids is no excuse to declaw a cat. I still carry a scar that my childhood cat gave me. Did I die? No. DId I learn something? You bet I did. Respect the creatures that we walk the planet with and if a cat is warning you she's had enough of you yanking on her tail, back off, man.

Registered Member

I don't see a point in de-clawing (as a matter of fact, I heard it can be traumatizing to the animal) but keeping the claws a bit clipped doesn't seem all that bad, especially if you have little kids around.

Registered Member

That's pretty much the same thing as asking if docking a dogs tail or cropping ones ears cruel. It's a personal preference to the owner and so long as they are done at a young age there should be no lasting harm to the animal other than the initial surgery. I had my cats front claws declawed when she got spayed because she was beating up the other little dogs and clawing up the furniture even though there were cat posts out because of the other cat. Some cats need to be declawed, some don't. Personal preference people.

That's like asking why we go through plastic surgery. It might be painful initially but the benefits after the fact outweigh that for some who actually need it done for medical reasons. I can't explain why other do it just for the sake of it.

New Member

My kitten is pretty good, he has an occasional off day where he is a pain but I wouldn't ever de-claw him. Fair enough he scratches me sometimes but its only while I'm playing with him.
Its quite cruel, like posibly taking our finger nails away even....?

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